


Cosmos: The Tender Heart of a Maiden

by Argens_Aegis



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Not Beta Read, Original Fiction, Slice of Life, Sorry Not Sorry, Sweet, Trans, Trans Female Character, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argens_Aegis/pseuds/Argens_Aegis
Summary: Max Henderson is a boy, or rather, supposed to be a boy, but in their final year of middle school, they participated in a "Tradition" that would change their life for the better. Follow along as they struggle with identity, who they are, and love.This is a very old story that I never wrote publicly, and this time, I plan to share it, it's greatly inspired by Kashimashi, a great very trans themed Manga that I'd recommend to anyone else.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	1. Her Story Begins

Max braced themself as they landed on the soft sod on the other side of the wrought-iron fence. Soon after, they heard someone else clambering up the fence and moved out of the way before they would get landed on.

“Owww,” said a quiet voice after a dull thump as someone fell down, with all the grace of a drunk squirrel. 

They helped the boy up and said in a hushed voice, “ Quick, move before someone lands on top of you.” He listened, although he took his sweet time moving. One by One, the rest of the group made their way clumsily over the iron-wrought fence. As the last boy, the ‘leader’ of their group, stood up, and brushed some dirt off himself.

“All right,” He said in a burly, but low, voice, “Everyone okay?” When no one answered, he took that as a yes. “Good, now let’s go over the plan.”

As everyone huddled together, one of the other kids piped up, “What is the plan, anyway?”

“Well, after Max here distracts the guard, we are going to go into the Dorms and cause some ruckus.”

“Why exactly do I have to distract the guard?” They said, asking for about the third time, although I knew what the ‘leader would say.

“Because you pass the most like a girl. The guard would probably assume you were a student sneaking around at night. He won’t even think twice. And once he opens the doors for you, you will run away while we sneak into the dorms. You won’t even have to do any of the heavy lifting, just book it once the door is open.”

Max sighed at the comment at their appearance. They would not try to argue that point, it wouldn’t change anything. “Still have a bad feeling about this.”

“Come on Max,” said the kid I had helped up earlier, “We only have a week till the end of the year, We gotta do this before we get into high school, it’s a tradition for the school!” The boy was eager that he almost shouted the last bit.

“Yeah yeah, just don’t yell at me when it fails from the beginning.” They walked away from the group of classmates and made their way through the bushes and trees that lined the well-lit pathway of the all-girls campus. After Max got up to the corner, they peaked around the corner. They watched the guard as the rest of the guys got into position.  _ This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.  _

Once they were certain that enough time had passed, Max started to make their way in the direction of the guard. “Who’s there?” he asked as they got closer. Once they stepped out into the light, the guard released the tension from his shoulders, “Miss, you really shouldn’t be out at night.”

“I know, I know,” Max said while they did their best to pitch their voice, “I just uh... wanted to get some fresh air.”

“That’s fine Miss, just try to not be out so late.”

“Gotcha.” The guard started to open the door for Max, who bolted down the path once the door was ajar. It left him confused for a moment before he chased after them.

“Come on! I was nice enough to look the other way and not reprimand you for being out late, don’t make this difficult for no reason!” He shouted. They didn’t look behind as they ran and ducked around the corner of the dormitory and into the bushes once out of sight. Max kept low until the guys were in the building and once the door shut, they got up and made my way back to the fence. Before they could take a step, they felt a hand grab onto their shoulder. “You are going to need to come with me, Miss,” said the guard..

“Crap.”

  
  


. . .

  
  


The guard guided them towards the center of the campus while he radioed the others. While Max contemplated how they were going to get out of this. Eventually the guard lead them to the main building, a larger stone structure that looked like it was from another time period. The guard lead them around the side, where there was a smaller, more modern entrance labeled ‘Security’ and lead them into a small waiting room and said, “Wait here, we will have to do a write up, I’ll need your name.”

They paused, unsure to give him their name, but relented at the look the guard gave them. “Max Henderson.” Without a word the man wrote the response and left Max alone without another word. They sat there in the cold and silence of the waiting room. After quite some time, eventually the door that the guard had gone through opened up. Only this time, there was a well-dressed woman with them. 

“Ms. Henderson? I am going to need you to come with me.” Max swallowed the lump that had formed in their throat as they stood up to follow the woman. She said nothing after she had retrieved the and silently lead them further into the building. Eventually she stopped in front of a large ornate set of doors. With three quick knocks, the woman spoke, “Madam, I’ve brought Max Henderson.”

“Ah,” said a voice from within, “Please send them in.”

“Headmistress Aodo will see you now,” said the well-dressed woman as she adjusted her glasses. Max hesitantly opened the doors and revealed the interior which was simple, yet lavish, office space. The walls were decorated with large oil paintings that they could only assume were expensive or important. On the far end, the wall was lined with grand glass windows that lead to a balcony that overlooked the large field of green that was the main campus. In the middle of this, was the large wooden desk that the Headmistress was sitting at, who was looking at papers and busily working.

_ Was she still working this late or did she just wake up.  _ Max thought as they stared at the silver haired beauty.

“You may take a seat there,” spoke up the well dressed woman, motioning to the leather couch that sat directly opposite of the Headmistress. Max made their way over, sitting gently on the couch that was probably worth more than everything that they owned. 

Without looking up, the Headmistress addressed them, “ Well, Max Henderson, what are we to do with you?” Max was wondering why she seemed familiar while she continued. “From what I gathered, you are not a student of mine. Which means you are a trespasser, likely our rivals, that all boys school across the way.

“This I was expecting, and of course, we had guards inside the Dormitory to stop any would be raids. It seems to have become a tradition over the years, where the seniors of each grade groups to try to get into the dormitories. However, what I wasn’t expecting was for this year’s having a runner to distract the doorman.” She looked up over her glasses, her piercing blue eyes stared straight at Max. “Normally we would send you off with a slap on the wrist, and maybe if you and your friends had actually done some damage, a call to your parents. But in this particular situation, when I had heard that one of my students was working with the boys, I have to say, I was curious who you were. Only now do I find out that you aren’t a student of mine.”

“So what are you going to do with me?” Max blurted out, through their nerves and the nagging sensation that they knew her from somewhere.

She ignored the question. “Tell me, Mr. Henderson, did you really expect this to go well, this little raid of yours?”

Max held back a wince at the ‘Mr.’ part. “I wouldn’t say it was mine, they just dragged me along, saying that I would just run as a distraction. I didn’t really want to be a part of this.”

“Oh? You could have said no.”

“I tried, but…” They found the words got lost in their throat.

“But what?” She asked, clearly aware of their discomfort in the conversation but still pushing for an answer, “You’ll find no judgement from me, like I said, no harm was done, and I am more than aware of the perils of peer pressure.”

Somehow, they believed her words, and calmed down a little. “They… said that it was a tradition, that it's what boys do.” They paused a moment, the last bit had sort of just came out, “And they called me names, saying I was a wimp and a…” My tone dropped a little at this part, “a sissy.”

There was an audible sigh from the Headmistress, “sounds about right for teenage boys. Cruel and pushy as ever.” 

“Yeah, they are annoying,” Max mumbled, despite knowing that they were supposed to be like them.

Their heartache must have been obvious to her, as she then asked in a more comforting tone, “And I’m willing to bet that you don’t care about such things.” She paused for a moment, clarifying, “Doing things that boys are supposed to do.”

Max shrugged, “Not really no, but more in the sense that the logic isn’t there. Why do something just because it’s ‘what boys are supposed to do.’”

The Headmistress chuckled a little at this, “Yes, if there is anything that makes no sense in society, it would be gender stereotypes. Let people do what they want, without worrying whether or not it’s what they ‘should do.’”

“Yeah exactly,” her cheerful laugh had infected Max, which caused them to smile a little.

“Tell me Max, what is it you like to do?”

The question kinda threw them through a loop, but eventually answered, “Reading mostly. When I was younger, I used to enjoy baking and gardening with my mother, but then…”

“You got made fun of for doing something feminine,” she finished as they had trailed off.

“Yeah…” Max did not try to hide their disappointment of not being able to enjoy baking anymore. The Headmistress stood up from her desk, and they followed her with my eyes as she moved to the front of her desk to lean against it. 

“Do you know the details of the ‘tradition’ that the other boys were talking about?”

Max shook my head, “No, never really said anything of it.”

“The tradition, the reason for their intrusion and using you as a distraction, was for a ‘panty raid’.” Max sat there, stunned into silence as she continued, “As I said before, this has been a frequent problem, and we were prepared, so they didn’t succeed, but-”

“GOD DAMN THOSE FUCKING PERVERTS!” My sudden outburst shocked the Headmistress as Max had interrupted her standing up in their fury. They let out a frustrated sound before collapsing back into the couch, fuming over those morons disgusting plans. Max realized that my outburst surprise the Headmistress, and with flushed cheeks muttered a quiet, “Sorry.”

After they composed myself, she cleared her throat, “As I was saying, we stopped them and sent them on their way, but I find it curious that they made no mention of this to you.”

“Cause they knew that I would’ve reported them.”

“Why is that?” Asked the Headmistress with what seemed like genuine curiosity.

“Why? Why not? Raid’s like that are gross and disgusting and an absolute invasion of privacy!” Max had to calm themself before they exploded all over again. “It's boorish, and rude, and the epitome of what I hate of guys.” 

“Yet you yourself are a guy?” That one stung, a comment they really didn’t have a response to in that moment. She noticed their discomfort, “I’m sorry for my bluntness.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, you said nothing untrue,” Max said with little of a tone, feeling emotionally exhausted after my outburst. 

“I’m not so certain about that.” The Headmistress walked away from the desk and towards a bookshelf off to the side. She pulled a very nondescript book from the shelf and walked back over, this time, taking a seat next to me on the couch. She looked barely over her 30’s and had a scent that made me think of Lavender and Lilies. “When I originally had you come up here, it was mainly to try to scare you, I was going to go on about this ‘Ultimatum’ where I’d give you the choice of being sent to Siberia or work under me, be my assistant for the summer. Something to make your friends to be afraid of so that way they would pass on rumors that would, hopefully, serve as a warning to the younger students, ending this ridiculous tradition.”

She paused, which prompted me to speak up, “Are you no longer doing that?”

The Headmistress looked at me with a kind and gentle smile. “No, not anymore. Having spoken with you, you remind me of myself at a much younger age. So instead, I will have you stay here for the night, in my office. You will sleep, and in the morning, I will have Ms. Sato drive you back to your campus. There will be no punishment, no grandstanding trying to scare you, you sleep, and go back, but with a stipulation.” 

At that point, she put the book in my lap. It was a simple green book with golden lettering for the title,  _ On the Question of Oneself _ . Max stared at the cover for a moment before she continued. “I want you to borrow this book, and in one week, after graduation and the beginning of the summer break, you are to return to my office and I would like to talk with you about what you thought of it.”

“That’s it?”

  
“That’s it.” She got up and moved over to a door that stood at the side of the room. Max opened the front of the book and read the first page,  _ On the Question of Oneself: An Exploration and Guide of Gender Identity. _ They felt myself swallow as they read the title again and looked up to the Headmistress who was smiling as she put down a folded blanket and pillow. She put it down next to me and left the room, dimming the lights till they gave off a faint glow, allowing me to see my surroundings, but not bright enough to make it hard to sleep. Max placed the book down and set it on the coffee table and used the blanket and pillow to get as comfortable as they could on the couch. With little effort, Max fell asleep, with their thoughts running fast on what had just transpired.


	2. Her Story Begins (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will Max discover about themself? read and find out in the finale of this arc/chapter of love acceptance and good surprises
> 
> So this marks the end of what I had written and now I need to actually write new stuff, so bear with me, I aught to have put this with the first chapter, but its already up so welp

The last week of middle school went by in no time. When Max returned the next morning, the group of guys pestered them with questions and they couldn’t be bothered with answering every single one. Once they had gotten to their room, Max dove headfirst into the book that Headmistress Aodo had given them. A summary of the book was gender identity, and acceptance, a topic that Max was hesitant dive more in but indulged the Headmistress’s request. They quickly realized that Max related to a lot of what was said inside those pages, eventually they understood why the Headmistress had lent them that book. 

On the last day of school, graduation had come and gone. Once the affair was over, the well-dressed woman stood outside their auditorium as she waited for the ceremony to end. “Hello Mr. Henderson, I’m here to take you to the Headmistress’s office.” 

She is always very straight laced, but suddenly the ‘Mr.’ made them all new sort of uncomfortable. “Okay, I have the book with me, so no need to wait.” Max said goodbye to my mother, who looked unphased by her child as they left with a stranger. It wasn’t long before they were back in Headmistress Aodo’s office.

When they stepped in, Max could smell freshly brewed tea and saw the Headmistress and another girl, who seemed to be around my age, set down something onto the coffee table. “Ah Max, glad to see you again,” said the Headmistress with a slight smile. The girl looked up and the two teens stared at each other, Headmistress Aodo noticed, “This is my daughter Akari.”

Nervous, I waved at Akari, “Hello.” She simply smiled at me and went back to setting up what looked like a gorgeous afternoon meal, filled with sandwiches and baked sweets. “What is all of this?”

“My daughter’s request, a graduation ‘tea party’,” she looked up, like she had just realized she had forgotten something, “I should have asked, but do you mind talking while my daughter is here? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

Max thought, they weren’t prepared for this, but they also weren’t worried. At least not about someone they just met and probably will never interact with to hear what they had to say. “No, I don’t mind.” 

She smiled at me and took a seat on the couch to the left and motioned for them to take a seat wherever Max felt. I took a seat on the middle couch, close to the Headmistress since her daughter was on the other side while she sipped her tea. “Would you like some tea, it is just a simple black tea, but we have plenty of stuff to mix in it.”

“Yes please, maybe with some honey and jam in it?”

“Raspberry fine?”

They nodded in affirmation. While the Headmistress poured them a cup, Max picked up a sandwich that looked particularly tasty. Once their tea was prepared, the Headmistress handed them the teacup and saucer. “Tell me, how was the book.”

Max froze as they were half-way through a sandwich and quickly swallowed the bit that was in their mouth. “I umm… it was enlightening.”

“Oh? How so?” Headmistress Aodo showed no surprise.

They groaned a little, not excited to talk about this to someone they had only met a week ago.  _ Why does she even care? _ Max paused long enough to take a sip of tea. “It helped me realize a lot of things about myself.”

“Like what? If I may pry?” They remained silent, which prompted her to reiterate something she said before, “You will find no judgement from me.”

Max took a deep breath before saying, quietly, “I think I am not a boy.. Maybe even.. A girl?”

Despite the uncertainty in Max’s voice, a big, wide smile spread across the woman’s face as she gently took their hand in her own. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Why?” Max asked as they tried to not let their emotions bubble over. 

“Because you made the first step to being the person who you truly are.”

“But what if who I am isn’t good, it’s not like the rest of the world wants people like me around.” Max still regretted looking up trans related articles on the internet, some of them were light-hearted and good, but a lot of them negative and aggressively against their existence.

“If it’s who you want to be, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks about us.”

“‘Us?’” Asked Max, confused by the statement.

“Yes, Us. Like I said, you remind me of myself when I was younger.” The soft and comforting smile of the headmistress caused the recently realized and accepted trans girl to tear up a bit. Once the waterworks started, she brought her into a hug, one that Max gladly accepted. She bawled her eyes out, over accepting myself or being accepted or not being alone, Max wasn’t sure which.

After some time, her tears finally slowed, leaving Max hiccuping. “Better?” asked Headmistress Aodo as she brushed the girl’s hair with her hand.

“Yes,” Max started, “ Though, I’m still worried about my mother’s reaction.” Suddenly, there was a knock, and as if on cue, her mother had come into the room. “Mother? What are you doing here?”

She simply gave Max a knowing smile as she sat down and ignored her question, “It is good to see you again Viktoria.”

“Likewise, Olivia,” The Headmistress replied.

Max sat there, somewhat shocked that the two women knew each other, and more so when her mother had spoken up again, “So, what is it you were worried about? My reaction to what?” 

Her smile burned into her, obviously aware of what Max wanted to say, but she still found herself not prepared for this particular talk. Sensing the tenseness of the room, the Headmistress, apparently who was Viktoria, broke the silence. “No need to tease the poor girl Livie,” She said, then turned to Max, “I’m sorry if you are hurt that I went behind your back about this, but I realized your mother and I were classmates in high school. I decided to reach out.”

“Although, it was only to catch up at first, but eventually she let slip that she met my dear Max,” she said that with a bright and caring smile, “and one thing lead to another.” 

Max was stunned and took a moment to take it all in. She had to keep herself from getting giddy when the Headmistress called her a girl, or at least, from not crying with joy. It was all becoming a little much when Max’s mother took her hand in her’s. “Yuuki, since the day you were born, I have always seen you as my precious baby. I will always accept you, no matter who you are.”

_ Welp, that was it,  _ she thought to myself, as the waterworks started all over again. Olivia pulled her into a gentle embrace and gently stroked her hair as she cried with joy. The tears only lasted for seconds compared to earlier, but still felt as meaningful. “I feel like I’ve cried more than I have ever before,” Max chuckled a little.

Her mother just grinned and warmed her heart with her love. “Don’t worry about holding back, letting yourself feel is good.” She brushed a bit of Max’s hair out of her face. “Now with that all out and everyone is happy and understanding, let us discuss the second reason for me coming here.”

She looked at her mother, confused by what she meant, when the Headmistress spoke up, “Yes, your daughter’s application.” My heart soared a little at ‘daughter’. “I have looked over her grades, and I must say, I’m impressed. Not only are her comprehension skills above her grade, her language skills are not lacking in any case. There is room for improvement for mathematics and the sciences, but nothing that our exemplary staff couldn’t help with. I feel Max will fit right in with our academy.”

“Well, what do you think, Maxie?” Asked her mother as she turned to face her. 

It took her a bit to process, but she eventually understood what she asked.Max gave them a surprised look. “You mean, for me to go to school here?”

Olivia nodded as Headmistress Aodo spoke up, “Unless of course you wanted to continue onto your current academy’s high school.”

“No!” Max yelled as she nearly jumped out of her seat, although not meaning to be so vehemently, “I mean, I’ve had enough of trying to be one of the boys, I want to be myself. But I don’t want to cause any issues, being, you know, me.” Her head sunk a little as she remembered the stuff she read on the internet, particularly the ones that pertained to bathrooms.

“That will not be an issue, Lily Valley Academy does not discriminate against students for wanting to be who they are.” Replied Headmistress Aodo, as if reading the line from a rulebook.

Max looked to her mother and searched for her approval. “Of course sweetheart,” she answered her which caused her to fill with joy. She could feel the tears start to come again as she hugged my mother again.

The Headmistress cleared a throat which caused the mother and daughter to look up. “So,” she started slowly, “ I, Headmistress Viktoria Aodo of Lily Valley Academy, formally accept the admission of Maxine Henderson.” With a smile, she continued, “Congratulations Max, on becoming one of my students.” 

She returned with a brighter smile, “Thank you for everything.”

“No need dear. Now let us go back to celebrating,.”

  
“Especially since we have even more to celebrate now,” Olivia said with a smile as she picked up the teapot to pour her own cup. Max started to take a sip as she glanced at the quietest of the group, Akari. She saw her stare and flashed her a small smile that made her blush.  _ She is beautiful when she smiles, _ Max thought while reflecting on the events that lead to this moment, not wanting to change a single thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want yall to know, the kudos and comments fill my heart with joy, thank you so much!


	3. Her First Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall, I'm still writing this, hope you like this next chapter, I've been deviating from my original writing for the better, but that means it takes some time longer to write. Thank you for clicking and Enjoy!

The day after the tea party, the news, and the acceptance, started a summer of non-stop planning and activity. Max and her mother spent most of the next day being her mom’s dress up doll. While wrapped in a ball gown worthy of a princess, Max complained. Despite her initial apprehension, it was kinda fun being able to wear all sorts of outfits, though most of them were more like costumes. After that was all done, her mother surprised her with a fashion expert who knew her measurements from before and had gone through the effort and picked out a veritable storefront of recent fashions and styles, among a number of more questionable types. 

After Max had picked out a number of attire that she found happiness in, she changed into what was her absolute favorite outfit. It was a simple, black A-line skirt that reached to the top of her knees and a soft pink and white striped long sleeved v neck. The fabric of the shirt was soft and warm and just instantly became Max’s favorite top. The skirt was nothing special, but it was cute and made her similarly happy. 

Next was the doctors, which fortunately the Henderson’s have an on-call family doctor. She was a kind woman who had supported the idea of prescribing puberty blockers until Max was 18 before deciding whether there was enough documented desire to advance to actual hormones. _I hope being behind doesn’t make me standout…_ Max worried to herself but it must’ve been obvious what she was thinking.

“I was a late bloomer you know, so I wouldn’t worry too much dear,” her mother said with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks mom,” Max wrapped her mother in a hug who reciprocated the gesture with a smile, “For everything.”

A few days later, Max and her mother were visited by Viktoria and Akari. Olivia opened the large doors to their mansion. “Ah Viktoria, Akari, it’s so good to see you two, Maxine is still in her room. Although I have no idea what she is being all fussy for. Akari, would you be a dear and fetch her for us, maybe she will listen to you, and I want to talk to your mother a little bit.”

The headmistress gave a short nod to her daughter, who smiled and followed after a maid who led Akari to the girl’s bedroom. The well-dressed servant gave a few quick knocks on the door, followed by Maxine’s panicked voice, “I-I’m not ready!” 

“Mistress Maxine? Our Guests have arrived and are waiting, and Mistress Akari is here to retrieve you as well, will you please come out of your room?” The maid begged in an even tone. 

“Ah! I’m not ready! Please just start without me!” There was a soft sigh from the maid.

She turned to Akari with a downturned look, “She has been saying the same all morning and won’t let anyone in.” There was a clattering as something shattered on the other side of the door and caused the woman to panic. “Mistress Maxine! Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay, I jus- Ow!”

“I’m coming in!” The maid seemed panicked over her hurt master as she flung open the doors. She quickly made her way over to Max, who Akari just stared at. Before her was a girl, with shattered ceramic in front of her and a cut finger, trying to not get blood on her light purple spring dress, and her face absolutely plastered in makeup. The girl looked up at Akari, who struggled to keep her laughter from bursting out. 

Both the maid and Max looked stunned as the normally calm and smiling girl was doubled over in laughter. The bleeding girl spoke up, “This is why I said I wasn’t ready, I knew I’d just be laughed at if I didn’t figure this stuff out.” She started to tear up a little bit, which caused Akari to calm down and comfort the crying girl. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” the black haired girl placed a comforting hand on Maxine’s shoulder, gently rubbing it as the girl cried. “You just reminded me of a little kid playing with makeup, it was a little too funny to contain.” 

The crying brunette’s tears started to slow as the maid cleaned and bandaged her cut. She looked up to Akari with a slight pout, “That’s mean Akari.”

The girl smiled, “Then let me make it up to you.” She grabbed a towel and some makeup remover, and promptly removed Maxine’s hard work. She then took up a mascara wand and lifted the girl’s chin. “Don’t blink now,” Akari said with the focus of an artist as she applied the makeup to her lashes. With what was an excruciating few minutes, the black haired girl reached for the blush and a brush, softly applying just a touch of color to the injured girl’s cheeks. Before Maxine had a chance to check her appearance, the other girl pulled out a lip gloss from the table and quickly applied the last bit of makeup.

Akari admired her handiwork for just a moment before she stepped to the side to let the brunette girl see her appearance. It was simple but… “So pretty,” Maxine said in a trance.

“Oh? Conceited much?” The taller girl said with a laugh, which caused the other girl to blush brighter. 

“I-I don’t mean it like that, I-I-I just meant that you did a really good job.” 

“Thank you, one of the many benefits of two mothers’ estranged though they may be. Besides, what you had on was excessive.”

“Well, I’m still new at all this.” Max pouted again. 

“I wasn’t trying to insult you, just that a little bit can go a long way, besides, you’re lovely as you are, so I only accented your natural beauty.” The compliment caused the brunette to blush again, which Akari responded to with a smile. “Come on, let’s not keep our mothers’ waiting much longer.” 

She returned the smile and hopped up from her seat and the two girls made their way out of the bedroom. Guided by Max, they made it to the room their mothers’ waited in, the two in a conversation. Between the women was a vase of freshly picked flowers, carnations, a few roses and what appeared to be violets, which decorated the table beside them. 

“Thank you again for the flowers, I’d love to visit sometime, especially if the rest of your garden is as lovely as these.” Olivia admired the flowers’ scent as the two silently arrived. She turned and with a small gasp, she saw her daughter all dressed up. “Oh, my precious daughter!” She softly exclaimed as she got up from her seat, “Look at how adorable you look!” She squeezed Max tightly in a hug. 

“Mommm.. You're embarrassing me..” The brunette whined at the attention while Viktoria and her daughter simply smiled. 

“Oh hush, when you surprise me like this, of course I’m going to be excited when I see you. Was this what kept you so long? I’m surprised you managed so well on your own.”

“Well, not really, I kept messing up, but Akari, she helped me out.” 

The named girl gave a smile. “It was nothing, I just simply gave her some advice and a helping hand.”

“Well,” interjected Viktoria, “I think you did a wonderful job. Maxine here is the very image of a beautiful young lady.” The complement meant the world to the aforenamed girl, she smiled like a bright beam of light. 

“Come, let us quit standing around,” said Akari’s mother as she ushered everyone to the sitting area. 

After seated, the silver haired mother continued the previous conversation. “A visit would be lovely, I do enjoy showing off my flowers. And Maxine is more than welcome to tag along, should she like.”

“What’s this about flowers and gardens?” Max had asked after taking a sip of her tea that was sat waiting. 

“Viktoria brought along this lovely bouquet of flowers from her estate, and had offered earlier to show me her gardens,” answered Max’s mother. 

“But why the flowers?” Asked the younger brunette. Next to her Akari chuckled at the outright question, while Viktoria cleared her throat.

“It was a gift for an old friend.” She resumed drinking her tea with a slight upturn of her lips. Max looked over to her mother who simply smiled as she drank, but she couldn’t figure out why flowers. “Anyway, how is your new life, dear Maxine.” 

She pondered the question for a moment. “Honestly? It’s kinda the same? I’m just a little… happier, I guess?” The looks on the others gave her a pause. “Like I don’t know! I mean, I still see me in the mirror and it’s all still new to me. I feel like I’m still very new to all of this. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”

Viktoria gave her a soft smile with a clink of her teacup. “It’s okay to not know, I suppose it was a rather… thoughtless question.” That seemed to calm down Maxine a bit, as she resumed drinking her tea with a sigh. “It’s okay to take your time with everything, I know it all seems fast, but you are not obligated to enter into my academy, if you feel you aren’t ready.”

Max paused for a moment, “No, no, I’m more than happy to go. I’m still getting used to everything, but I still want this.” She gave a bright smile that was matched only by the headmistress. The conversation turned towards idle chatter between the two mothers, the two daughters sitting and sipping their tea.

By time the evening came around, and the teapot had been emptied, Olivia spoke up, “Viktoria, will you and Akari be staying for dinner?”

“Ah,” replied the headmistress, “Unfortunately no, I have some business I must attend to at the school. Perhaps some other time?” There was another smile from the woman that was mirrored on her friends face.

“Some other time, then,” Standing from her seat, the older Henderson led the way back to the entrance, Max following closely behind. 

Viktoria spoke once they reached the doorway, “Thank you for the hospitality, I look forward to our next meeting.”

“Likewise,” said Max’s mother with a smile. 

“And I look forward to seeing you again Maxine.” 

“I do too! And thank you Akari for helping me.”

“It was my pleasure,” the girl gave a small smile but one that stunned Max for a moment. With their final words said, the Henderson mother and daughter watched after the two as they walked back to their car. The weeks went on, Maxine continued to be herself at home and even a few times out when Headmistress Aodo had invited them over to dinner, and tea, but plenty of times Akari and Maxine hanged out together, while their mothers went on their own to talk or visit the garden. 

The summer passed by like so, peaceful and filled with the people Maxine felt were the closest to her. Before long, the first signs of autumn filled the air as the mornings became more crisp and the sun hung less in the sky. It was time for her scholastic adventures to begin.


	4. Moving into the Dorms

Moving day had arrived. Since the Academy had dorms, many of the students all moved in on roughly the same day. There were some who arrived early with special permission, some who arrived later in the week to miss the big rush. Maxine carried a box of her clothing while a group of girls ran down the stairs past her. 

She squeezed herself to the wall as the girls passed her and continued her way up. Maxine made it to her dorm that was assigned to her, yet to meet her roommate. She set the box down and reached for the door handle, a tiny bit nervous at the prospect of meeting someone new. 

The brunette peeked her head around the door as she opened it, “Hello? My name is Maxine, I’m going to be-” Stopped by the sight of who was in the room. 

“Oh there you are,” said Akari, who was in the middle of organizing her stuff. After a few moments, she spoke up again. “Are you going to just stand there Maxine?”

“I wasn’t expecting you…” Max said as she finally let the door open all the way as she stood in the doorway. 

“Who else were you expecting,” asked the black haired girl with a tilt of her head. 

“I’m not sure, I guess I assumed you’d be dorming elsewhere like in a special room or something.” 

“Well no, I dorm like all the other students, my mother doesn’t like showing favoritism, which is honestly fine by me.” Akari said with a smile, “Besides, we both figured you would be nervous about your roommate and planned for us to be rooming together.”

“I feel like your mother is being a bit over protective of me.” Max whined as she picked up her box. 

“No, she is just like that.” 

She let out a sigh as she placed the package by the unclaimed bed.

“Did you want help bringing your stuff up?”

“Yes but…” At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Max opened the door

to some of the staff from her home, all carrying boxes of Max’s stuff. “They already beat ya to it.”

There was a small laugh from Akari as the staff deposited the brunette’s stuff. Each of them said their farewells, despite Max’s insistence that she was going to be back by the holidays. Some of the maid’s were getting teary-eyed over their little girl growing up, which earned another chuckle from the black haired girl. 

After their goodbyes, Max was left with a pile of boxes at the foot of her bed. She started the process of folding away clothing, Akari meanwhile sat on her bed browsing her phone.

After the last article of clothing was stored away, the brunette started breaking down the now empty boxes. As she bent down to pick up a box, there was a soft click of the door. Max turned around at the noise to only see a blur of blonde hair as someone rushed past and landed beside Akari on the bed. A tall, golden-blonde haired girl clung to Akari who seemed unfazed by the interaction. “Akari! It’s so good to see you! Did you hear? There is supposedly a new girl at the school! Isn’t that amazing! Someone new!”

Akari ignored the girl as she looked at Max with a smile, “Oh really? I wonder who it is.”

The taller girl pouted, “ Come on Akari you have to know something, you are the Headmistress’s daughter after all.” The blonde turned to where the black-haired girl was staring, “Oh! I didn’t see you there, sorry for bursting in here, and who are you, if I may ask?” The girl had bounded up and was face to face with Max, whose heart did a flutter at the bright smile of the girl. 

“Uh, the new girl, I suppose,” Max managed to get out.

The blonde looked surprised at the revelation, “What really?” She got very close to the brunette, which only hastened her heartbeat. 

“Um, yes?”

“Ah! It’s so good to meet you! My name is Hannah Adeneur.”

“Maxine Henderson.” The shorter girl was uncertain as to what to do with all this attention from one very bubbly person. Fortunately Akari came to her rescue as she pulled Hannah to a more appropriate distance. 

“Come on Hannah, what have I said about invading someone’s personal space.” The black-haired girl chastised.

“Not to worry about personal space?” That answer resulted in a tap on the top of the blonde’s head. “Fine, sorry if I made you uncomfortable Max, do you mind if I call you Max?” A short nod was the brunette’s reply. 

Hannah smiled brightly, “Say, are you two done with unpacking?” 

“Yeah” said the two girls.

“Good,” the blonde haired girl said with a smirk as she grabbed Max’s wrist, “Follow me!” 

Jostled by the sudden action, Max was dragged through the door. “Wait! Where are we going?” She had managed to just barely get out. 

“On a tour of the campus!” 

“Okay! But can you let me go?” The brunette realized that Hannah had incredible grip strength and couldn’t manage to get out on her own. 

“Fine, but no running away, promise?” She let go of Max and stuck out a pinkie finger at her. 

Max let out a sigh and linked her pinkie with Hannah’s “I promise.” Satisfied, the blonde let out a wide smile and the brunette felt her heart hasten again. 

At that moment, Akari cleared her throat, “Can we get going with the tour?”

The blonde gave a big nod, “Yes, lets.” 

During the tour that looped around the campus, Hannah had shown them the athletic field, the pool, the smaller satellite schools, and finally the Academy itself. The wide, cobbled street that led up to the building was lined by trees of yellows and reds. The scene before them was serene. As they walked towards a clock tower that stood at the center of the campus grounds, Max had the feeling that they were being watched. When she turned around, she thought she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye but when she blinked they disappeared.

“Is something the matter?” Asked Akari. 

“No…” Replied Max, “I just thought I saw someone.” 

By the time they returned to the dorms, the brunette’s feet were sore. Meanwhile Akari seemed unaffected and Hannah seemed even more lively, if at all possible. Max seeked the comfort of her bed with a flop and a satisfied sigh. The blonde and the black-haired girl seemingly decided to give the brunette some space cause the two were chatting about their schedules on Akari’s bed. 

There was a knock at the door and before Max could get up to answer it, Hannah beat her to the entrance. She started to lie back into her bed when the blonde called out, “Max, it’s for you.” 

The girl got up as the other went back to sit with Akari. At the door was the headmistress’s assistant, who later Max learned her name was Ms. Morozov. She spoke first, “It’s good to see you Ms. Henderson, I hope you are settling in?” 

“Ah yeah,” Max eyed the hangers with protective garment coverings in her hand but didn’t mention it. 

“That’s good to hear, I had tried to reach you earlier, but it seemed you were out.”

“Oh, Akari and a girl named Hannah were giving me a tour of the campus. Sorry that you missed us.” 

“It’s quite alright, the Headmistress had simply asked me to deliver your uniforms to you and Akari,” She gave a slight smile as she handed over the two hangers to Max.

“Oh, we would’ve come and gotten them.”

“The Headmistress had mentioned wanting me to deliver them so you two could relax and settle in.”

“Please tell her thank you, and thank you as well.”

“Was my pleasure, have a good night.” 

“Good night.” Max watched as the woman walked away before shutting the door. 

“Who was it?” Asked Akari.

“Ms. Morozov, you mom had her drop off our uniforms.” Max answered as she handed her the hanger with a tag that had Akari’s name on it. 

“Wait! Uniforms arrived? I still need to get mine!!” Hannah bolted out of the room like her hair was on fire. 

“Think she will be alright?” Asked the brunette.

Akari chuckled, “She will be fine.”

Max hung the hanger on a hook that was by her dresser and unzipped the black cover. Her uniform consisted of a green tartan skirt, a white button down, a solid green vest with a similarly colored jacket, and a green striped tie. Pinned to the jacket itself was a small handwritten note

_ I wish the best of luck to you and the days to come _

_ ~ Headmistress Aodo _

  
The girl let a smile bloom on her face as she read the note, a warm, comforting feeling washed over her. 


	5. Her First Day

Max was a woken not by an alarm the next morning but by a very loud Hannah. “Wake up!” Yelled the energetic girl, “You're going to make us late!”

“Go on without me, let me sleep my life away,” said the lethargic girl.

“No way! Friends don’t leave friends behind!”

A loud groan came from Max as she gave up on going back to sleep. As she looked at her alarm clock, she was furious enough to almost throw the clock at the blonde girl. “Why did you wake me up three hours before the first bell?”

“Wow, you are totally not a morning person.”

“Not this early,” Max grumbled, “I’m going back to bed.” With that she pulled the covers back over her head and closed her eyes.

“Oh no you don’t,” Hannah pulled the sheets off the brunette, who let out an exasperated sigh. She ignored Hannah as she grabbed her uniform and slipped into her bathroom to brush her teeth and get changed. By the time she came out, the blonde was sitting on a nicely made bed, checking her phone. She looked up with a bright smile, “I should’ve known you would look adorable in the uniform.”

Max felt her cheeks heat at the sudden compliment. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” She said under her breath, “And you never answered me, why are we up this ungodly early?” 

“Why that’s simple: To eat a good breakfast,” Hannah said with all the certainty of the world. However the reaction was only that of a deadpan.

“I’m going back to bed,” said the brunette again. But before she could, the tall blonde quickly grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room. 

Despite her protests, Max was already awake enough to make going back to bed difficult. She was led to the cafeteria, which was connected off the main school building, but was otherwise standalone. Inside was sparsely populated, with pockets of early riser students and what looked to be older athletic club members quietly eating their breakfasts. After getting their food from the friendly lunch ladies, the two girls saw Akari waving to them from a table. As they sat down, Max let out a sigh and rested her head on the table. 

Akari gave her a pat on the back, “I told her to let you sleep, but she obviously wouldn’t listen.” 

“It’s okay, I just would’ve gone to bed earlier if I knew.” She turned to glare at the blonde who was busy eating her toast with jelly. 

The girl looked over mid bite. “I won’t apologize; Breakfast is best early in the day,” She said before returning to her meal. 

At some point a couple of the athletic club members came over to the group of girls. From what Max had heard they seem like upperclassmen who knew the two others. The brunette scooped some egg with a fork, absent mindingly listening to the conversation. “Say, Akari, Hannah, who the new girl? She’s kinda cute~” said one of the taller girls, which caused Max to almost cough up her food.

Akari simply giggled while Hannah answered, “Her name is Maxine Henderson, she just transfered in over the summer.”

“Max was it?” Said the athletic club member as she sidled up behind her, “Why don’t I show you around the school, maybe show ya some of my favorite places to relax.” 

“O-oh? W-well we walked around the campus last night, s-so it’s still fresh in my mind, but t-thank you for the o-offer.” Max managed to stutter out a reply and could feel her heart beat in her ears as she blushed at the attention. 

“Come on Abby,” said one of the other athletes, “Don’t flirt with her too much!” The lot of them giggled at that, including Akari and Hannah. 

Despite the rejection, the taller girl smiled in a way that made Max’s heart flutter, “Perhaps some other time,” and gave her a wink. Abby and the rest of the girls from the track team left the trio as they returned to the rest of the team’s table. Hannah gave a wide grin towards the still blushing Max. 

“Looks like someone already has an admirer and before the first bell.” Teased Hannah, which only caused the brunette to blush even more. 

“W-w-what are you t-talking about?” 

“Hannah, now it’s your turn to stop teasing Max,” said Akari to the rescue, “Even if she is adorable while embarrassed.”

“Akariiii, stop please.” Max buried her head in her arms, as she hoped to shut out the endless teasing. 

There was another small giggle from Akari and Hannah, “We’re sorry Max, you’re just too much fun to tease.” 

The brunette pouted, but that only got a squee from Hannah about how cute she was. After another embarrassing few minutes, eventually they finished their breakfast and disposed of the refuse in the trash cans. Thankfully the track girls were gone and the three walked to their homeroom unhindered. 

They walked into the mostly empty room, only two other girls were inside. One with auburn hair didn’t look up from her book when they walked in, meanwhile the girl with blonde hair that only differed in its straightness to Hannah’s hair. The blonde turned towards the door and once her eyes locked with Max’s blonde haired friend, she stuck her tongue out in a rather undignified fashion. An expression that Hannah quickly returned. 

The three sat down towards the back corner of the class, Max meanwhile just stared at Hannah confused. Eventually, she noticed her friend staring, “What’s up?”

“What was that?” asked Max in a hushed tone.

“What was what?” asked the curly haired girl.

“What do you mean? What was that?”

Hannah just tilted her head to the side and Akari, thankfully, spoke up, “Hannah and Rose haven’t gotten along since they were little.”

“Oh?” 

“Of course we don’t get along. She’s too snobby.”

“That and she loves to call Hannah an idiot,” added Akari. 

“And only because I failed one test. One! And when we were like 9!” Yelled the blonde, which now that there were a few more students inside the classroom, caused everyone to look their way. After everyone turned back to what they were doing, the conversation continued, albeit much quieter. “Point is, she’s mean.”

Max wasn’t paying too close attention as she absentmindedly replied, “Uh-huh.” She was staring off towards the girl with the book, a feeling of familiarity with her, but she couldn’t place it. 

“Heya Max, you good?” Asked the blonde, “Ya kinda zoning out.” 

Max turned towards Hannah, who looked the tiniest bit concerned. “Yeah, just… thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” whines the blonde haired girl as she wrapped her arms around Max and leaned against her back.

“Don’t cling to me,” whined back the brunette. 

“But I love hugging you and hugs heal wandering thoughts.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.” Max turned to Akari, who was busy talking to a classmate, “Akari, save me.”

“Hannah,” said the black haired girl without turning around, “Give the girl a break?”

“Fine~,” said the blonde who relinquished her hold on Max, much to her relief. With her heart pounding, the school bell rings for the morning, which caused most of the girls to find a seat as the teacher walked in.

Max watched with an eager nervousness. She only had introduced herself to a classroom at her last school and it didn’t go well. But this was a new school and a new Max. The bell rings again. And the teacher speaks up, “Maxine Henderson? Is she here?”

Max stood up and shakily spoke out, “Y-Yes, I am here.”

“Come up and introduce yourself please.” 

Max complied and felt the stares of the entire classroom on her back. And the stares only worsened when she turned around. “I-I’m, I mean, my name is Max Henderson and I’m looking forward to the future with all of you,” she said with a small smile. She closed her eyes, almost embarrassed to see the reactions of her classmates. 

A moment of silence was pierced by a single voice. “So cute!” And as if it was the break in a wave as the rest of her classmates all exclaimed and fawned over Max, and caused her to blush. As she surveyed the class, her eyes landed on the auburn haired girl from before. Her eyes were wide open as she gave her a look of surprise and it was at that moment, Max remembered. 

With that knowledge, Max walked back to her seat after the teacher got the class to quiet down. She moved back to her seat with her thoughts racing. As she sat down, only one thought ran through her mind,  _ Amity? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading this far, I'm starting to get into a groove with this story, so hopefully more will come out sooner than later. Please let me know if there is anything you like or dislike, I usually appreciate feedback lol
> 
> Edit: holy crap, it's been a year since starting this fiction, thank you everyone who has read this, I promise I'll try and update this more regularly


	6. Her Childhood

It was 1st grade, Max had no friends, save for one, Amity. She was always a bookworm, even for how young she was. The two never associated in class unless they got grouped together but she would always sit with Max at lunch. They would talk about classes, the newest book she was reading, and it would stay that way till just before middle school. 

“So I’m going to Chrysanthemum Girls Academy for middle school,” She didn’t say it with any particular thought.

“Oh?” Max was disheartened, she knew back then that that meant they wouldn’t see each other for much longer. “Well, good luck.” She said with a smile.

“Thanks,” said Amity with a small smile. It was the last time that they talked about middle school. Max was slated to head to some school near the Academy but she doubted that she would be able to see her friend. Chrysanthemum had a history of only letting girls attend but visitor’s were not common.

The last thing they ever said to each other was Max’s confession. Amity never rejected her, but it was obvious that she didn’t feel the same. Despite the confession, Max knew it was a desperate bid to not lose her one and only friend.

At that moment, the lunch bell rang, which jolted the brunette. She quickly looked for the crop of auburn hair that was Amity, but was quickly put to a stop by Hannah, who had a worried look on her face. “You good Max?” Asked the blonde.

“Hm? Yeah, yeah, just something on my mind,” Max said with a sigh. 

“No time for that, it’s time for lunch!” 

“You really like to eat, dontcha?” Asked the brunette. 

“Of course, a good meal is how you get big and strong, don’t you want to get big and strong?” 

“I’m perfectly happy with my size,” said Max with absolute certainty. 

“Now that you mention size,” The blonde stared at Max’s chest, “How big are you, Max?”

Akari chuckled a little, and Max looked confused, “I’m 5 foot 6 inches.” 

“No, no, not your height, how big you are.” 

“Big?” The brunette turned towards Akari for help. She simply smiled as she accentuated her bust with motions of her hands. It took her a second to process, but within seconds Max was fully blushed and was now storming away from the other two. “T-That’s none of your business!” 

Akari simply laughed while Hannah was confused as to why she wouldn’t answer her. The three eventually made their way to the lunch room and it was absolutely flooded with students. They moved their way through the lunch line with surprising ease, and found a table where some of the girls from homeroom were already sitting. 

Max placed her tray next to Akari’s and one of her classmate’s. She sat down and before she could start eating from her meal, the classmate next to her spoke up. “So Maxine was it?”

“Yeah, but Max is fine too,” replied the brunette. 

The girl gave her a smile, “So Max, where did you transfer from, were you homeschooled?”

Max returned the smile, not minding the question. “No, I went to the school across the street from the Academy.” 

Another girl interjected, “The co-ed one? So you were going to school with boys?”

“Uh yeah?” Max replied, though confused by the line of questions. At her answer the group of her classmates were now clamoring and giggling among themselves.

“So do you know if there were any relationships over there?” Asked the first girl. 

She thought for a moment, in an attempt to shuffle her memories of school. “Yeah, I think there were a few.”

Her answer caused another wave of giggles and the girl asked again, “How about you, were you in a relationship before you transferred over?”

“No, never,” Max replied bluntly, not too keen on the conversation. 

“Really? That’s surprising,” said the second girl. 

“Yeah, I would’ve guessed you were popular with the boys.” said another.

“Well, it was more of the opposite, I didn’t have any friends, or rather, none worth keeping.” said the brunette solemnly. 

There was an awkward pause when suddenly Hannah loudly wrapped Max in her arms. “Don’t worry Max! I’ll be your friend for forever!”

“Hannahhh!” Max whined, but the sentiment warmed her cheeks and heart a little. The rest of their classmates giggled at the break in the tension. Once Hannah let go and returned to her food, Max dug in, famished from emotions and questions. 

After lunch, the three girls walked back towards their class, where they ran into the auburn haired girl at their classroom door. Amity gave Max a look while the brunette just awkwardly smiled. Eventually the other girl broke off the awkward moment and walked into the classroom. Max let out a sigh and her friends gave her a look of worry, not that she could see them do so. 

Unlike the first half of the day, Max was actually able to focus on her classes. That said, the classes were mostly boring, going over the syllabus and expected homework and readings. 

By the final bell Max was ready to go back to bed but she knew she needed to go over the stuff from the first half of the day. She scribbled down a note on the corner of a syllabus sheet when Akari and Hannah got up.

Max turned in her seat to follow suit, but was stopped in place as someone was already standing next to her. She looked up and locked eyes with Amity. A silent moment fell between them, only broken as Max nervously spoke up. “Y-yes?”

“Max,” her voice was cool as she spoke, “We need to talk.”

“Y-yeah, your right,” She stood up and saw her friends who both looked unsure of what was going on. “Hey, um, I need to talk to her, so don’t wait up for me, okay?” 

“But-” was uttered out of Hannah’s mouth but was interrupted by Akari, 

“Understood, we’ll go on ahead,” said the black haired girl. The two walked off, but not without a look from Hannah. With a sigh, Max followed the auburn haired teen. Eventually they stopped at a room that was labeled  _ Literature Club _ . Inside however was barren of anyone else. Amity sat down at the table inside and Max followed suit.

Max and Amity stared at each other, Amity with her arms cross and Max twiddled her thumbs. Eventually, after she mustered the strength, the brunette broke the silence. “So…” She looked away, “Long time no see, I guess.” 

“Three years and that’s what you say?” Amity still held a cold tone in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” said the brunette while she avoided eye contact. 

The auburn haired girl sighed and her cool façade slipped, “Well, it’s not entirely your fault. I never reached out either.” 

The two girls sat there in the awkward silence between them, neither knowing what to say next. Max desperately wanted to say something but the words just kept falling on her tongue. Eventually, Amity continued talking. “So… You’re a girl now?”

“Yeah,” replied Max, “Just don’t really connect with being a boy, if that makes sense.”

“It does,” said Amity with a smile, “You always acted more like a girl then a boy when we were younger.”

“Really? I never noticed.”

“Yep, it’s why we got along. You weren’t brash like the other boys were.” 

Max giggled a little, “I only recently realized how different I was to them, but apparently you had me all figured out.”

“You were just easy to read,” giggled Amity.

Max rolled her eyes, “Sure I was.”

“Well, you were at least easy for me to read,” corrected the auburn haired girl thoughtfully. 

“Hmmm, fine, that I'll accept.” 

The two looked at each other for a moment of silence before smiling and they burst out laughing over nothing. After their joyous outburst, Amity smiled again. “You seem much happier now.”

Max returned the smile, “Yeah, my life has changed for the better.” She thought of her friends, who were probably worried over her. She sighed, “I should probably get back to my friends, I wouldn’t want to worry them.” Amity made a face, but only for a second.  _ Was that disappointment? _ Thought Max, but before she could voice that question, the auburn haired girl spoke.

“Yes, but do you mind if I join you? I’d actually like to meet your friends.”

“Oh, uh sure, I don’t see why not.” Max was kinda excited, she never had to introduce friends to each other. 

The two walked out of the club room and chatted about books and hobbies the two had developed over the years away from each other. “So do you still bake? I remember you and your mom used to make such good sweets.” 

“I hadn’t for a while but lately mom and I have gotten into the swing of baking over the summer,” replied Max with a smile.

“Good, they were always delicious, I look forward to trying them again sometime.” 

“Thanks, I might try an-” But Max was cut off by Hannah who had promptly wrapped her arms around the smaller girl’s waist. The brunette looked down at the girl, confused, “Hannah? What are you doing?” 

“Hugging you of course,” said the girl as she looked up at her friend. 

“No, I mean, why are you here, weren’t you and Akari going to leave?” clarified the brunette. Amity meanwhile had opened her book and was busy as she ignored the two girls.

“We left the building,” answered Hannah.

“We waited outside the building,” corrected Akari, who had been standing there with a small smile on her face. 

Max sighed. “See that’s my point, I didn’t want you guys to wait.”

Hannah had released the brunette, but only to put her hands on her hips. “Of course we waited, it’s what friends do!”

“I tried to convince her otherwise, but you know how adamant she can be,” explained Akari. 

“You mean she’s stubborn?” Asked Amity, who put her book down.

“Yes,” replied both Max and Akari, much to Hannah’s surprise. 

“I expected that from Akari, but et tu Max?” 

“Yes, now hush, I’ve someone I’d like you two to meet,” replied Max. She turned towards Amity with a smile, and then back at the two girls. “Hannah and Akari, this is Amity, an old friend. Amity, this is Hannah and Akari, my two new friends.”

“We’ve been in the same class since middle school, but it’s a pleasure to meet you two.” Amity gave a smile to the two. 

“Likewise a pleasure,” replied Akari. 

“Nice to meetcha Amity!” Exclaimed Hannah with a big smile.

Max smiled brightly at her friends, “Come on, let’s head back to the dorms.” The four girls walked down the steps of the school building as they head back to their dorms, chatting about classes and hobbies and ambitions for the year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter is the last of what I have written down, so that mean's I'm pretty much free to take this story in whatever direction I feel fit. That said, I'm not entirely sure how I want to progress the story, there is a lot I have in my mind for their various events throughout their lives but the actual path to follow their lives, I'm just not sure how I'm going to space out said events and the over all timeline, so although it may take some time, I plan to continue working on this story.


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